Anxiety
by bobkitty1123
Summary: Reardon notices something interesting and points it out to Kate after the case. Takes place after Nemesis. Daniel/Kate. One-shot


A/N – Takes place after the events of Nemesis. Such a good episode…I didn't like Reardon, though, she was kind of a bitch. I know it seemed unlikely that Brady wasn't the one who killed Trent, but sometimes you have to have to trust. I hope that she isn't so controlling in future episodes because Kate and Daniel get sh*t done and you don't get in the way of that awesomeness. Lol. Anyway, enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Perception.

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Kate sat in her office after they had closed the case, with the real murderers behind bars and Brady being released from the hospital with a promise that he'd continue taking his medication. Daniel seemed happy with the outcome.

Kate, on the other hand, sat behind her desk, her knee jittering up and down with nerves.

Director Reardon was going to fire her. Kate would never see the inside of the FBI building again. She would be blacklisted from working in any form of law enforcement again—that's how things like this usually went down when you not only defied your boss but you also were proved to be right and essentially, unintentionally, humiliated them.

Reardon stomped into her office within the hour.

Kate looked up from the paperwork she was filling out.

Reardon cleared her throat and looked around the room. She continued avoiding eye contact as she said, "I just wanted to say good job today finding the true killer."

Kate visibly relaxed as she smiled and replied, "Thank you."

With that said, Reardon still didn't leave. She hovered in the doorway, her hand resting on the doorframe. Kate looked up again, feeling the director's eyes boring into the top of her head. It appeared as if Reardon had something important to say. Kate set down her pen.

"How long have you been in love with him?" Reardon asked.

Kate blinked. "What are you talking about? I'm not in love with him."

"Notice that you didn't ask me who." Reardon said, before turning and walking out of the office. Kate looked after the woman, feeling her heart sink to the pit of her stomach. Was she really that obvious?

Kate ran a hand over her face.

"How long?"

Kate bolted out of her chair and stared at the man standing in her doorway. He regarded her with an unreadable expression as he took a step further into the small space.

"How long what?"

Daniel seemed to fight himself, and then asked, "How long have you loved me?"

Kate felt her face flush and she looked down at her paperwork. As an FBI she was well-versed in how to be prepared for any situation but this time, she had no contingency plan. Instead, she pretended to be shuffling her papers while trying to come up with something…anything.

When she looked up, Daniel was wearing a confused—and slightly hurt?—expression.

"What gives you that idea, Daniel?" She asked innocently, batting her eyelashes.

Daniel pointed back to where the director had been saying and said, "I heard you two talking when I walked up."

"So you were eavesdropping?" Kate snapped.

That probably wasn't the best answer—Kate had gone on the defensive.

"No, of c-course not..." Daniel stammered, tapping his fingers on the briefcase he held tightly against his chest.

Kate sighed.

"How do you know we were talking about you?"

"Because I'm the common variable between you and Reardon." Daniel said as if it were really obvious. "It only stands to reason that she'd be talking about me. Plus, you didn't deny it."

Kate groaned. "I really have to stop talking."

Daniel stepped up to the front of the desk nervously. His fingers were tapping out a tune on the case by that point. He noticed and placed it on the ground at his feet. It felt weird to be without it in his arms—it was like being exposed and so he wrapped his arms around himself. Kate noticed this and felt bad that she caused him to feel so anxious. Lewicki was correct to some degree about her part in his increased episodes. On one hand, helping with cases was good for Daniel, but at the same time, spending so much time with Kate was probably not helping him that much. She sighed.

"Then don't talk…listen." Daniel said with conviction. Kate looked at him. "When I first started working with the FBI, I was terrified. It deviated from my routine more than I thought I could ever handle."

"Then why did you accept the position?" Kate interjected.

Daniel fixed her with a somber look. "Because you asked." Then he gave her a small smile that spoke volumes. Kate felt her breath catch in her throat. "If anyone else had tracked me down and asked, I would have said no. I could never say no to you, Kate."

"Well, then, will you take me out for dinner tomorrow night?" She asked.

"No." Daniel said, and Kate felt so embarrassed.

From the way he was talking…well, she had believed that he was admitting something to her. Apparently she was wrong. Kate wanted to shrink and disappear. She was smart enough to pass his class and join the FBI, but apparently she was an idiot.

"I have a lecture tomorrow night. Haley threatened to fire me if I don't go." Daniel said off-handedly, completely unaware of how much pain he just caused her. "He won't do it, but if I don't attend then he'll never let me live it down."

Kate let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Daniel noticed this. "I will take you out on Friday, though." He paused. "I…really like you, Kate, you have to know that."

Kate smirked. "I do now."

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A/N – God, this episode…so much fanfic fodder. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Anyway, please review.


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